Mikie2times

2004 was the last year I really thought we should have made the playoffs. Football Outsiders had that team as the highest DVOA team to not make the playoffs since they collected data (1989). I remember that season very clearly and we just destroyed anything average and lost some real heartbreakers early. Obviously it ended in the devastating home loss on Willie Parker day in Buffalo. So who do you think should be better based on your opinion right now? QB- Bledsoe= 2004 Team Drew was under a 80 QBR and was nothing to be proud of. Only reason I'm giving him the nod is for his deep ball and the current futility of the 2015 squad. RB- McGahee/Henry= 2015 Team It isn't exactly a position of weakness on either squad, but McCoy is more dynamic compared to Willis and I'll take Fred and his old but fresh legs over Henry. WR- Moulds, Evans, Reed= Draw I would take Moulds and Evans (Rookie year) over Watkins and Harvin right now. That's a very close discussion; I just think Moulds was more polished compared to Sammy as he was a vet. Evans was a difficult deep threat with Bledsoe. Percy is more versatile and also a great deep threat. I just haven't seen big production since his breakout year and I don't know if we have a stretch the field QB. I have a draw because as you pass those two names the 2015 squad has more depth in Woods and Hogan. I think both are highly underrated. TE- Cambell=2015 Team I don’t think I need to go into this one much OL- Jennings, Smith, Tucker, Teague, Williams= Draw My biggest concern, I just think we keep following the same pattern of skill positions over lineman. DL- Kelsay, Schobel, Adams, Williams= 2015 Both defensive lines could/can completely dominate. I give a nod to the 2015 squad because of superior edge pass rushing LB's- Fletcher, Spikes, Posey= 2004 Spikes and Fletcher destroyed players in 2004. During the prolonged winning streak, they dominated. DB's- McGee, Clements, Milloy, Reese= Draw Clements was in his prime and made the pro bowl. McGee was very solid and Milloy completed a well-rounded squad. Very close and hard to make a decision either way. Special teams-=I don't know… I expect the 2015 Bills ST to be very good, but keep in mind the 2004 squad ranked #1 in the league in DVOA. Nod to the 2015 Bills at Kicker. Coaching-=2015 We had a good overall staff in 2004 but Rex beats Mularkey hands down. I also think the overall staff of the 2015 squad is very strong. Verdict- I would have to lean to the 2015 squad by a slight margin. That is with a lot of respect to the 2004 squad as well, specifically the defense which I think was one of the better Bills defenses of all time.

haha, this should be in wikipedia under women. Nothing but this.

Any chance he just did this intentionally? It doesn't mesh with his twitter post, but it didn't come off to me like Jim really cared for Cowherd. He seemed annoyed that he was getting all these descriptions thrown at him about who he was. He just seemed to get further and further annoyed at every assumption Cowherd was making. Just tossing this possibility out. He might just suck that bad, I haven't heard Jim do a lot of pressers or interviews. Thanks for the link.

It pisses me off every logical north bound route is closed right now from my work. Does it matter? Nah, I'm not that important. Somebody who tells stories with "back in my day" language should either know as much by now or is seriously lacking in many areas.

Got a new job after working 8 1/2 years every Sunday. SUNDAYS OFF NOW! WOOT. I'm a cord cutter stream only set up and not willing to budge on that. When I saw DTV started offering streaming packages for non DTV subscribers it got me very excited. That was until I read the disclaimer regarding only having this option available if you cant get DTV service. I don't know how strict they follow this but I did get denied on the basis that the previous owner of my home had DTV installed. I called back a few days later and told them I lived at my brothers house (he has an apartment). They signed me up no problem. So for those looking to go the streaming route if you get blocked on account of location think of any potential family members who might apply to the "can't get direct TV rules" and use that address for your service location. It's all streaming anyway so the billing address and where it's being streamed from mean nothing in relation to each other. I use my mom's Comcast account for HBO GO and Watch ESPN. My brothers NETFLIX account. Kick them both 5 bucks a month. My brother in law has several thousand movies on his PLEX server. I have more TV options than I could ever think of using and just pay 49.99 a month, plus the additional 10 bucks to my brother and mom.

Whoa, I usually get 2 responses in much more intelligent threads. I appreciate the collective discussion. I think I have a healthy balance on it after reading all the responses. As one poster mentioned, Bruce, Kelly, Thurman, and many Bills from the early 90's teams had many questionable moments. Personally, I was 9 in 1991, which is the time I can draw a distinct line to being a fan. Those guys were gods to me and it's not as if I was aware of adult stuff at 9. As I got older, some minor stuff happened to my Bills gods, but they also matured, so they never lost god status in my eyes. McCoy is rare talent, has a chip on his shoulder and projects to do very well this year. If that happens, I will be the first one screaming at the top of my lungs. Performance trumps this conversation tenfold. I just haven't liked the transition, and it wasn't even the racist comments or over coverage by the media that triggered it. I just started reading all his press transcripts since the trade. He would say he was moving on and within seconds throw in something underhanded regarding the Eagles. So it was like stop saying for the 10th time you're ready to move on if in your next breath you're discussing the past. Most recently he very aggressively said he was moving on. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and if he performs the Jersey wins out.

Well, I don't think this is my masterpiece post....haha I don't post as much as I once did. It has been bothering me a bit, I just like him as a player so much and I guess I just felt really disappointed with the transition. I expected turbulence but this has been a bit much for my tastes. I do agree with what you said though. I support this team and have supported them as a non local resident for over 20 years now. That certainly won't change and this is a very exciting time. He said no more questions about the past in his last presser as Whitewalker (GOT baby!) pointed out. I'll try and clean the slate. Trust me, when this went down I was one of the bigger supporters of the deal. He reminds me of Gale Sayers, who is probably my all time favorite RB.

It's simmering more or less, I just hate the fact that I don't really like a star player on this team. I don't remember ever feeling that way about a player.

Considering he shows the emotional maturity of a 5 year old, yes. If he produces it's forgivable. If he doesn't he has shown zero redeeming qualities since this went down so it's sort of hard to like him at the moment. At least for me. I will be checking back in for the season, finally have Sundays off. Probably the best year in a long time for it.

I was aware of his talent as well as the Shady nickname, I just wasn't aware how bad the Shady was. As each day elapses without his talent making up for his ridiculous comments its very hard finding any reason to like him. First he was sour on going to Buffalo, get it, that's fine. I actually liked the fact that he felt a bit scorned, figured it would be more fuel for the fire this year. As time progressed it seemed like every time he spoke he would say the right thing "I'm happy to be a Buffalo Bill, let's put the past behind" while seconds later a passive aggressive comment would follow about his previous relationship with the Eagles and Kelly. Right when you think he's finally shutting up he repeats the same crap all over again, except this time why not add the race card. After he gets smoked by the media he goes into retreat not addressing his ridiculous comments, he resurfaces somehow angry that he would be asked to discuss them at more length. As I said earlier, the guy needs to get on the field and do it fast. As it stands I have very little reason to like him and can't imagine I'm the only one who feels that way.

I don't feel like the Brady aspect is the thing that bothers me the most. I do think it assisted him, but it's not what bothers me the most. I think it's possible, in fact, even likely, that this has been going on for some time now. If you want to find a highly correlated statistic to winning% look at turnovers. When you look at how much of a statistical outlier the Patriots have been with fumbles. Something like a 10,000 to 1 rate of occurance just by random variation. That's what bothers me the most. Not even a small part of me believes that number is a result of random variation. Several players have discussed a less inflated ball being easier to carry. So talk about a direct game changer on a PED level. Add 5-6 fumbles a year to the Patriots total, would that make a difference in a game of inches? I think so.

Ya, that was a time 1st year WR's rarely saw the field. I remember when we drafted him I had high hopes. I started to think he might not deliver. All of a sudden the guy just exploded. He was a very well rounded player. Good speed, athleticism, hands, physical. Probably the closest guy I can think of now who compares in the way he plays is Dez Bryant.

Moulds was so underated by those outside WNY and I would even say by a lot of people in WNY at this stage in time. He was a dominating receiever when he broke out that gave us some great memories. I will never forget his catch in the "just give it to em" game and his record setting performance against the Dolphins in the Playoffs. Sadly both those games ended in heartbreak but I don't think we would have even been in a position to get our heart broke if Moulds wasn't on the team.

Fitz, not even close either. With his mobility I think he would be a great fit in this offense.

Haters hate, lovers procreate, it's part of life. This is beyond haters hating. This is a lot of fans getting sick of the Patriots playing "lets see how far we can push the rules" at the most critical time of the season, full well knowing that pushing the boundries this time of year is actually worth the risk, as the league can't dish out a proper punishment (they certainly wouldn't disqualify a team for example) during a playoff run or the Super Bowl itself. In a game of inches do these indiscretions make a difference? I would think so. Excellent team, well coached, but by my account, at least one less ring if the played by the same standards the rest of the league does. Let us not also forget, the only thing being discussed is when they have been caught red handed. You really think the league has caught every other indiscretion over the years? It's more logical to assume they haven't then they have.

Ya, I know this is the never ending conversation, Taylor as well as the rest already have a lot of threads. I don't post a lot anymore, just been following intensely from the sidelines. I don't think Tyrod is the best passer, probably 3rd. But I do think he can apply so much pressure to the defense with his legs it turns him into the best passer.

When we signed Rex and I heard his opening presser about the running game, I saw the OC we brought in with Roman, I saw the player pool available at QB. I felt the Bills would be going all in with running game. Far beyond the level most coaches take it. I thought we we would lead the league in rushing attempts and do it in a diverse way. Which for me meant a hybrid NFL/College offense. A lot of read option, jet sweeps, and things Roman did with the 49ers. Then I thought we would have our power sets, FB/TE, conventional I-Form, utilize the PA passing game out of it. The focus being when the QB is asked to throw it's almost always in viable PA situations, 3rd and shorts, and other circumstances that we could minimize his reads or potential for turnovers. Now that the off-season has played out, this picture I had of the Bills offense is turning into a carbon copy of what I expected. Shady gives us a lot of diversity in the option run game, power run game, and passing game. He's a do it all center piece I envisioned, I just didn't expect they would go this high end for that centerpiece. Felton is available for our power sets, as is Clay. Harvin adds some great diversity. He can run those jet sweeps, screens, and complimentary option play that can extend off traditional read option concepts. The only thing I pictured needing that we didn't have for this offense to work was an extremely dynamic runner at QB. Manuel is mobile and can make plays with his feet. He is not dynamic. This type of offense needs more then a mobile QB if your going for the all in version. I didn't picture the Alex Smith version of Roman in SF, rather the CK version, and as these signings progressed it seemed like the CK version was even more likely. Enter Taylor, who immediately comes in being one of the top 3 most dangerous running QB's in football. From the tape I have seen on Taylor, if you can minimize his reads slightly, more playing, less thinking, I feel he could be outstanding. His play making potential and ability to create when things break down is also a thing of beauty. I think Taylor will start this year and not because I'm selling EJ short or building Taylor up. I just think if you want to be the most run heavy and run dominant team in football, you want that dynamic threat to run at QB. Tyrod is the only player on the roster that teams would have to heavily game plan with in that regard. If he doesn't start, I certainly expect him to be part of package sets. As a side note, like most, I would like another lineman added. But I do expect some solid development from our existing players in this department as well.

The NFL has about the same control over CTE as boxing officials. The way the sport is played guarantees this will happen. Unless they want to switch to leather helmets or something that doesn't allow for the speed of the collisions nothing will have a drastic impact on CTE. Which is sort of a problem given the NFL has branded itself on the very collisions that create the biggest problems. NFL films breed generations of football players to go for the knock out and I just don't see that culture changing. IMO eventually we will see middle upper class family's bailing on the sport at the youth levels. We will also see current players like Boreland who feel they can have a life outside the game bail. This will impact the talent pool, but it will also leave the least educated, least skilled, and most impoverished people left playing the game. I think that's just a natural progression we will see as far as player demographics. I also think we will see an advanced test created at some point. Something that can detect this in more real time. Which would certainly create a mass exodus of the sport. What I don't see is the NFL folding. Eventually all the information and testing will be available to players. We will still see enough guys willing to take the chances as the alternatives for some of these players seem non existent.

I applaud his decision. I can't imagine most people would be willing to work a job at his or any pay level that put you at over a 1/4 risk of CTE. It feels like many people envy these guys, but what good is money if you don't have you wits? Can you imagine living like a time bomb, never knowing if you will be among that group of CTE victims?

I was in Vegas two years ago when the Lions played at Philly, it was a memorable game for me as I was visiting the old man and hand't seen him in a few years. The snow was as bad as the Bills game at Cleveland about 6-7 years ago that Edwards started in. Players couldn't move. In the second half McCoy was making cuts that seemed to defy logic. He was untouchable. It reminded me of the 6 TD performance Gale Sayers had in the rain. His ability to maintain his balance was just so far ahead of any other player on the field in those conditions. After seeing that performance, thinking about about the type of weather we get, it's going to be exciting to watch this guy in December. McCoy rushed for 217 yards in that game against a very good Lions run defense.

While serviceable backs could be had in the draft, did we have any guarantee we would be able to land a guy in the 2nd round or after that we would trust to get 25 touches in game? Did we have any guarantee Kiko would return 100% and be one of the best LB's in football, as hat seems to be his perceived value to many on the forum.. What guarantee we do have is one of the top 3 RB's in the NFL plays for the Bills and he's 26 years old. We had one of the best defenses in football last year without Kiko and we all know Rex is going to turn this defense into a nightmare. He always does every place he has gone, with less talent to work with in some instances. RB parity seems to be the consensus outlook, but a few backs stand out above the rest and can nearly have QB impact levels. McCoy is ether in that class or as close to it as you could possibly get. He's the centerpiece of the offense instantly and no other player in FA or in the draft is capable of fitting that description. Great trade.

Rex is a players coach because he uses a ton of positive reinforcement in the locker room and in the media about his players. I don't think I've ever heard a coach say as many positive things about his players as Rex does. I don't mind it, a lot of these guys need a confidence boast. Tell them they're elite, they become elite, or raise that expectation. It's a different style and I like it. If he has to drop the hammer I feel confident he can and will.

This...^ I'm not trying to say my job is even remotely close to what a CEO or NFL QB faces, but I do manage in a difficult setting, with difficult people. I have seen a couple people before me just get destroyed doing the same thing. I'm not a very alpha type person, I don't evoke fear in people, so I can empathize with people who struggle with taking on that role. That said, I was at my job 8 years before I was promoted and did more business for my company then anybody else in it's history. Almost by default people listen and respect me. So if you perform well, its very easy to lead. If you don't or aren't established, it certainly takes a very unique individual. Especially if those people your trying to lead are more tenured/experienced/etc.

Couple thoughts...Are these incidents actually occurring at a higher rate or is our ability to capture them just that much better? How often is this actually happening with it going undetected? I ask that because we vilify a lot of NFL players for past discretion's assuming our beloved player are somehow squeaky clean. So many of these guys come from broken homes, violence, and poverty....

That would imply Peyton was either better or more clutch. I certainly don't think he was more clutch. I really don't think he was all that better either. Just played in an era a little more friendly on stats (at least for more of his career)